In Lizardcube they are masters at bringing pixels into traditional animation. They proved it with Wonder Boy: Dragon’s Trap, they validated it with Streets of Rage 4. What if the French were given the opportunity to make a hand-drawn Street Fighter? The quick answer is that they would embroider it, and for example, the test video created for the GameCamp 2022.
The teaser titled Fighters of Dark Ages, shown and Twitter just for fun, more than is promised: Ryu and Ken exchange a couple of blows and we even see the sequence of a Super Art with that fluid and successful style of the studio. Mind you, the battlefield is neither the United States nor Japan, but the Elden Ring Midlands.
The bad news is that it is a simple sample elaborated without a project behind it and exhibited as a prize to those attending the GameCamp 2022 held in France, where the geniuses of Lizardcube gave a talk that revolved around their references and their very recognizable artistic style.
But best of all, it’s not just animation: the French say that These are playable characters.
Lizardcube: devotion to the classics and a masterful touch with finishes
To be fair, it is not that Lizardcube has fully developed the two characters, but rather that they made the right and necessary animations to surprise and bring joy to their fans. In fact, and according to Twitter, make this simple sample it only took them two or three days and it would take a lot more time to be able to offer gameplay.
But, as we say, there is no project behind it: Fighters of Dark Ages
We had so much fun making a fake and playable fantasy game. 😊 https://t.co/aKEvMaTjhC pic.twitter.com/Wy808ZbFIs
—BenFiquet (@BenFiquet) June 24, 2022
—BenFiquet (@BenFiquet) June 24, 2022
Special mention to the costumes of Ryu and Ken, inspired by the work of FromSoftware and that does not go unnoticed, but also to the stage created for the occasion. Because, perhaps, that the combat is in the Elden Ring universe is just to give the blow a little more force, but now we want a full game like that.
It is not the first time that we see Ryu animated in a video game with traditional methods: Capcom and Udon partnered to shape Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, although the truth is that the result of that game pales -and a lot- compared to to what Lizarcube achieved in a few days.
For its part, the Capcom saga continues to grow betting both on its future and on its legacy: beyond two new compilations with which the 35th anniversary of the saga will be celebrated, Street Fighter 6 will be launched worldwide in 2023. Of course, the former recovering the classic sprites and the latter renewing its commitment to 2D combat with three-dimensional models.
From here we can only do two things: congratulate its creators and cross our fingers so that, if Capcom ever commits to returning to traditional animation, the assignment reaches Lizardcube.
